Gilkes 'Pumps' Up Facility
British manufacturing company builds new office and factory on FM 1266 in eastern League City

British manufacturer Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon has opened a new 12,000-square-foot office and factory on Columbia Memorial Parkway (FM 1266). In April 2004, the League City Economic Development Corporation (LCEDC) started a conversation with Gilkes Inc., which is the U.S. subsidiary of Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon. At the time, the company had moved from Seabrook to League City and was leasing a 6,000-square-foot building on Dickinson Avenue. With a growing business, Gilkes was looking to buy property and make room for expansion.

The League City team talked with David Priestly, vice president of Gilkes, several times, and the company eventually decided to expand to League City permanently. That agreement came earlier this year. Since Gilkes primarily sends its products and services outside of the area, it was an ideal prospect for the LCEDC.

Gilkes' new facility has 4,000 square feet of office space and 8,000 square feet dedicated to factory use. The property has a remaining 12,000 square feet of unused land that will allow for expansion. Although the LCEDC and Gilkes discussed financial incentives to expand their operations within League City, Gilkes declined to apply.

Gilkes manufactures pumps for industrial manufacturers like Caterpillar, Cummins, General Electric and Electro Motive Diesel. The primary focus of the plant in League City is to repair and refurbish those pumps when they need to be serviced. Gilkes is also a leader in hydropower systems — generating electricity from water. The company is also exploring the refurbishment of locomotive pumps for GE and EMD, which make a large portion of the trains in the U.S.

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ERF Wireless Expands LC Operations
Tech company closes Taylor facility to move manufacturing to South Shore headquarters

ERF Wireless, a broadband wireless product and service company, recently upped the technical staff and manufacturing at its League City headquarters. Specifically, the company moved the manufacturing and testing of CryptoVue, a network security system primarily marketed to the banking industry. Originally, the CryptoVue team was located in a facility in Taylor, Texas. ERF moved most of that team to League City to facilitate research and development and reduce expenses.

"ERF Wireless has acquired 15 companies over the past four years and has moved all of the administrative functions of these companies to League City," Dr. H. Dean Cubley, chairman and CEO of ERF, said. "Currently, we have more than 40 employees in League City and are adding more every month. I believe that League City is an ideal location for our corporate headquarters and expect that our employee base will continue to reflect that."

Nearly 20 years ago, the League City Economic Development Corporation assisted a company called Eagle Wireless. Eagle was moving out of Houston, and the EDC helped them find a 12,000-square-foot building in the South Shore Harbour Business Park.

Since then, Eagle expanded and acquired other companies — it is now known as Eagle Broadband. In 2004, Dr. H. Dean Cubley, a former CEO of Eagle, left a management position at Eagle to start ERF Wireless. He set up ERF's headquarters in League City. Both companies are publicly traded and continue to operate here as they grow their business in the technology and telecomm industries.

Click here for more information on ERF Wireless

Big Time 'Smaller City'

For the second time, League City has been named one of "America’s Top-Rated
Smaller Cities," an award the city won for the first time back in 2004. Grey
House Publishing uses comprehensive data from all over the country to choose
110 select cities.

League City is one of only three cities on the list in the Houston area. The others are Friendswood and Sugar Land. It is one of only eight cities in Texas. This is quite an accomplishment considering the long list of criteria judged upon: finances, population, income, health care, in-demand occupations, cost of living, education, climate, hotels
and convention centers, and more.

The book America’s Top-Rated Smaller Cities is read by a wide variety of readers,
from private individuals to businesses considering relocating.

Click here to read more about Grey House Publishing

FEATURED PROPERTIES

OFFICE/WAREHOUSE FOR SALE
300 Dickinson Ave.

Located near the corner of Highway 3 and FM 518, this office/warehouse has 6,000 square feet on 1 acre of land. Asking price is $350,000. An additional, adjacent 1 acre is available for $75,000.

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COMMERCIAL LEASE
216–246 FM 270 South

The League City Plaza Shopping Center has nearly 5,000 square feet for lease. The entire center is nearly 15,000 square feet, with a Kroger as an anchor store. An end cap space is available at the corner of FM 518 and FM 270; drive-by traffic exceeds 26,000 cars per day.

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LAND FOR SALE
I-45 South of FM 646

Located at the most active retail intersection in League City, this plot has 30 acres with direct access to Interstate 45. It is zoned for general commercial use and is subdividable.

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Click here for more properties and spaces available in League City

The largest city in Galveston County.

Only 20 miles from downtown Houston.

Close to more than 37,000 engineers.